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in cutting off the bones of hind leg just above the ankle and the bones of 
fore leg just above the wrist; cutting four straight leg wires about two- 
thirds the length of the body, to be wrapped in cotton and the uncovered 
tips forced into the feet just under the skin of the sole. This may stiffen the 
skin a bit more than by leaving in the wrapped leg bones, prevent a leg 
from being pulled off by a dangling label, and make the skin more durable 
for class use. This method involves the use of four additional wires in 
the legs. If the wires are not available a narrow strip of bamboo or hard- 
wood slivers might be substituted, but the collector should be familiar with 
the method of leaving the leg bones in place. 
If the skin has been torn before beginning operations, it may be 
better to remove the body through the original gap instead of making a 
new cut. Keith Reynolds, of London, Ontario, recently sent the writer 
skins of short- tailed shrew ( Blarina brevicauda) and star-nosed mole 
{Condylura cristata) , showing a method used by A. A. Wood, of Strathroy, 
Ontario, on shrews and moles, species which are prone to decompose 
rapidly in hot weather. When the hair on the abdomen has started to slip 
or become loose, he finds it better to make the opening cut from middle of 
throat along the breast to tip of sternum. With careful handling this will 
to some extent prevent the loose hair from rubbing off while the animal 
is being skinned and the opening cut sewn up. The same condition is less 
frequently found in trapped meadow mice ( Microtus group) when the 
stomach contains a large amount of partly digested, soft, green vegetation. 
(See also , use of alum on skin in such cases, p. 11). 
Preparation of Skulls in the Field 
The skull is removed from the carcass by disjointing carefully at the 
neck. Cut off only the largest muscles in medium-sized species, and re- 
move nothing but eyes, tongue, and brain from the skulls of small species. 
Small bony processes are apt to be cut or broken off in the field and a 
certain amount of dried tissue protects the skull from such breakage. In 
small skulls poke out part of the brain with a wire or tooth-pick, because 
if the whole brain dries in place, it may swell later when the skull is being 
cleaned and separate the sutures, particularly in young skulls. Large 
skulls should have all the brains removed. A rough wooden spoon may 
be whittled out of a stick, or a soft green twig may have the end hammered 
into a rough brush, and with these the brains may be poked out. After 
part of the brains have been removed, water may be poured in through the 
foramen magnum (entering point of the spinal cord) and the skull well 
shaken and rinsed out before hanging up to dry. The skull should be 
preserved in as perfect a state as possible, and the foramen magnum should 
never be enlarged by cutting nor should any bony processes be cut or 
scraped away. 
Skulls may be dipped in cornmeal or sawdust to hasten drying and to 
keep labels from sticking to the flesh. Do not allow skulls to remain wet, 
as they macerate and decay when damp, and the jaws and teeth may drop 
away, so that the numbers cannot be associated with all parts of the 
skulls. Fractured skulls will usually have the parts kept together by the 
periosteum and ligaments, but if any pieces become detached they should 
be tied up in a bit of rag and fastened to the larger parts. 
